Making sense of the latest Keyonte George-Jazz Summer League controversy

It was super cool when Keyonte George and the Utah Jazz sought to have him on their Summer League coaching staff, just as it was similarly uncool when the league told them no. Making it even worse was when it was clear Derrick White was doing just that for the Boston Celtics.

It understandably baffled the Jazz's fanbase when it came to light that White was part of the Celtics' coaching staff during the Las Vegas Summer League last week.

In fact, the team had been sharing X posts of picture of White on the sideline with the other assistant coaches. They were quickly deleted, but Jazz accounts saved them to try question why White got to do what George couldn't.

These are fair questions, and they've led to some conclusions about favoritism in the league. Why did the Celtics get permission to do exactly what the Jazz asked the league to do but got rejected?

Here's my theory for the answer to that question: they didn't.

Boston likely pleads ignorance on this one

It's very possible that Boston simply believed it wouldn't have been a big deal to have White there on the sidelines while also not knowing what was going on with George and the Jazz at the time. Plus, once those posts, they were quickly taken down, which likely means the league contacted the Celtics and told them White couldn't participate as an assistant coach.

Utah at least made sure to check with the league first before doing anything. It is a shame that George couldn't join the team as an assistant. While it's hard to see what harm it would have done to have him do this, this is just how the game is played.

The irony is that we have seen NBA players participate in Summer League as players despite the fact that they are right in the middle of their primes with no trouble in the slightest.

Why it's different for a player to want to coach as opposed to playing in the Summer League is anyone's guess really. Well, what's done is done. Odds are, Boston probably got off with a warning about this, which is a giant whatever.

It's not like this is the biggest deal that will have major consequences for either the Celtics or the Jazz. It's just a little obnoxious. The NBA has its rules and there's not much anyone can do about it. Here's to hoping teams will consistently follow even the little ones such as this from here on out.

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